{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"71576582","dateCreated":"1421806088","smartDate":"Jan 20, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"TerriCooper","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/TerriCooper","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1420660256\/TerriCooper-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/lpsbookstudy2015.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/71576582"},"dateDigested":1532252518,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Brain Hero","description":"The brain is built from millions of tiny decisions. Some conscious. Most not. We don\u2019t know when the smallest choice will push a brain onto the path of genius or the highway to hell.\u201d (Page 121) This reminds me of the powerful influence that teachers have on students. We have to have high expectations, create safe and secure environments, and be good role models in order to nudge our students\u2019 \u201cpaths\u201d in the right direction. I think teachers have both an awesome responsibility and an exciting opportunity to guide students on the road to success. Check out this link to a youtube video. (It\u2019s called Brain Hero in case the link doesn\u2019t work)
\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=s31HdBeBgg4<\/a>","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"82271640","body":"Unfortunately many of our students face dysfunctional home lives, more grim than many of us could ever imagine. Their only safe haven is at school with their peers and teachers that care for them and their well being. That is why as educators we must put aside our feelings towards the curriculum, administration, or even colleagues to ensure we are putting everything we have into our students' education and making each and every one of them feel as though we are lucky to have them be a part of our life.","dateCreated":"1432662677","smartDate":"May 26, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"zettlem","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/zettlem","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82271664","body":"In public education, we get the students we get, not the ones we want. You never know what kind of damage and dysfunction a child has endured before they walk through your door. You cannot control the homelife or upbringing. I read that most children's neural pathways for language are laid down by age 2. In addition, many of the structures in the brain that hard-wire responses to fear, anxiety, and aggression are already there long before they see us. However, they are still learning and growing. As educators, our positive, loving, and educated mannerisms, interactions, and language can be a turning point and send positive ripples down the road in the child's life.","dateCreated":"1432662705","smartDate":"May 26, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"barkera1","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/barkera1","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82274634","body":"This was indeed a sad chapter. I read somewhere that if a child has a relationship with one person who is nurturing and loving, they have a very good chance of overcoming their diversity of when they were young. We all need that one person in our lives that is behind us 100% unconditionally. It could be a parent, a sibling, a grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend, or even a teacher. We don't always know what a child's home life is like, but we have them for six hours a day, five days a week, thirty-six weeks a year and we can make sure that the time they spend with us is of the highest quality. It is our chance to help them showcase their talents and to learn that they are worthy of respect, admiration and love. Children are gifts; they only belong to us for a short while then they go off on their own. With their best interest in mind and a truly loving and caring community at school, these children have a chance to grow and become the wonderful adults that they were meant to be. roopanid","dateCreated":"1432671086","smartDate":"May 26, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"Lps-sysop","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Lps-sysop","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82274654","body":"My first priority as an educator is to create an environment that is safe and nurturing.
\n Maslow's Hierarchy of needs physiological needs, Safety needs, Love and belonging, Esteem, Self-actualization, Self-transcendence. Moyer","dateCreated":"1432671135","smartDate":"May 26, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"Lps-sysop","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Lps-sysop","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82274660","body":"This chapter was a tough one. Again, I have to remember that my first priority as a teacher is to create a classroom where children feel loved, safe, and respected (having basic needs met). I will continue to make this my priority as I continue my years of teaching. I feel having this approach supports asking children for their best and expecting that they give it. Hurleyj","dateCreated":"1432671142","smartDate":"May 26, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"Lps-sysop","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Lps-sysop","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82277254","body":"So many students come to us and school is their safe haven I try to make sure that all our students feel that way. To show compassion and and love sometimes all it takes is a smile a hug or even a Hello. Woods","dateCreated":"1432679753","smartDate":"May 26, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"jwoods1616","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jwoods1616","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82280622","body":"Not only does this Chapter remind me that our students can be changed by our small loving care, it also reminds me that parents are often trying very hard, but don\u2019t always have the tools or the emotional capacity to deal with all that is going on for them. I wonder how many of the parents or guardians we deal with have had the same trials that their children are now having. Do they know where to get the resources that will help? Maybe part of the job of the school and teachers is to help the parents to get the help they need to provide a better environment for their children.","dateCreated":"1432690014","smartDate":"May 26, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"lantzyc","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/lantzyc","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82281448","body":"As a teacher of almost 22 years, the beginning of a new school year still excites me. I love the challenge of taking a child from point A to point B. It is a must to establish high expectations while creating a safe environment for children to learn. It is a great responsibility to positively influence a child's life, and teachers need to take this responsibility seriously. Not one moment should be wasted.","dateCreated":"1432692456","smartDate":"May 26, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"dperez69","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/dperez69","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82282204","body":"I come from a dysfunctional family. My trauma is not as severe as the stories told in this book, but I still had to overcome poverty - often times not knowing if we were going to have anything to eat or even a place to live, a father who was a drunk and would often beat my mother and sometime me for trying to protect her, and verbal\/emotional abuse on a daily basis. If it wasn't for the compassion of my first grade teacher, Ms. Witt, I would have ended up as another statistic continuing the cycle of poverty and all of the trauma that comes with it. Because of the relationships she built with her students, the kind way she spoke to us, and the encouragement she provided, I wanted to be just like her. I vividly remember sitting at my desk staring at her and thinking that I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. I often thought about her as I continued my school career enduring more of the same trauma. I don't remember anything she said to me that made me strive to do better for myself and overcome all the things I dealt with growing up, so sometime it isn't your words that affect people...sometimes it is your gentle spirit, compassionate heart and caring smile that can set a person on a different path. H. Paprzycki","dateCreated":"1432695023","smartDate":"May 26, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"paprzyckih","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/paprzyckih","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82288280","body":"High expectations in a safe and secure environment help promote high achievement in students. Some of the building blocks, which are key to the foundation to making this successful, are often missing. What happened in life before attending school, and what may continue to occur in a student\u2019s life, play into their ability to follow a successful path. It is our great responsibility and privilege to be role models and lead by example. CaroneD","dateCreated":"1432722630","smartDate":"May 27, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"CaroneD","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/CaroneD","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82290638","body":"We have reached a time in society where more students come form dysfuncional families than not. I do believe that the only thing that can pull these children out of the cycle is to have one person believe in them. One person who makes that solid connection and instills a belief in themselves.","dateCreated":"1432732386","smartDate":"May 27, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"mommypoz","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/mommypoz","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"82291542","body":"I know that when someone has a baby they aren\u2019t given an instruction manual and some parents try their very best to raise that child as good as they possibly can. To me most of being a good parent is common sense, at least the basics (love, basic needs, protection). When I hear of or read of parents doing these unbelievable and horrific things to their own flesh and blood I tell myself that clearly they are not right in their mind. I don\u2019t understand how or why because my brain could not even think about doing such things. As a teacher, I hope my influence on my students is one that would be considered as helpful and encouraging to rebuild any missing links on their life path.","dateCreated":"1432734283","smartDate":"May 27, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"dusekm","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/dusekm","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":48}]}],"more":false},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}